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July 2018

360 W. 7th Street 541-547-3400 P. O. Box 285 agatechurch@peak.org Yachats, OR 97498 www.yachatspresbyterian.org

A Welcoming, Come-As-You-Are, Christ-Centered Community Church

Agate Windows Newsletter

And I will make thy windows of agates . . . . Isaiah 54:12

November 2019

Dates to Save/Things To Do at YCPC Mondays, 12:00 Noon, Lunchtime Lectionary Study

Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Leta’s Legacy Quilters Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m., Evening Study, with a focus on gratitude Friday, November 8, 4:00 p.m., Celtic Festival Harp Workshop Saturday, November 9, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., YCPC Garden Clean-Up Saturday, November 9, 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Celtic Festival Harp Workshop Friday, November 15, 10:30 a.m., Book Group Friday, November 15, 7:00 p.m., Oregon Coast Chamber Orchestra Concert Saturday, November 16, 2:00 p.m., Organ-Aided Reflections by Jon Nestor Saturday, November 16, 6:00 p.m., The Table, YCPC Community Potluck Wednesday, November 20, 6:00 p.m., All-Church Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner Friday, November 22, 6:00 p.m., Families Together

The office will be closed for Thanksgiving and the day after, November 28 and 29.

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As you can see from these few pictures . . . the YCPC Oktoberfest, held at the Yachats Lions Club on Saturday, October 26, was a great success. Over 200 people squeezed in for beer, brats and music! Beer was from Yachats Brewing. Music was provided by Yachats Big Band, The Sauerkraut Seven, Robert Rubin, and Jim and Shirley O’Brien (Music on the Road). The kick-off for the Oktoberfest was a “tapping of the keg” and tasting ceremony on Friday at Yachats Brewing where the Brewmeister uncorked a keg of their special Yachats Oktoberfest Brew. Many, many thanks to everyone who made this event possible, including those who worked behind the scenes to prepare the food, set up and clean up! A more complete listing of thanks is on the next page . . . from Pastor Bob’s Facebook post.

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Many Thanks to Many People for the Oktoberfest . . .

. . . from Pastor Bob’s Facebook Post following the Fest

Wow!!! We are so beyond elated. The Yachats Oktoberfest exceeded our wildest expectations. We had more than double the turn-out we were expecting. Not a bad problem to have.

Thank you, Yachats, you’re the best. Thank you to everyone who came from Bend, Eugene, Florence, Springfield, Newport. Your support means a lot. What a great community we were tonight.

Thank you also to Gary Cleasby and Eric Bigler and the rest of the Yachats Big Band. Thank you to Robert Rubin, The Sauerkraut Seven, and Jim and Shirley O’Brien of Music on the Road.

Thank you Pam Luderitz as always for your work shopping and cooking, and well, just being you.

Thanks to Nathan Bernard and Yachats Brewing for brewing a special Yachats Oktoberfest beer. People LOVED it. Thank you to Sandy and Jesse for pouring the beer. You guys poured 267 of them!!!

Thank you to Chef Anthony Velarde from Eat Well Organic Noodles for the spaetzle. Thank you Rick Cave from Breadworks for the fantastic pretzels. So authentic!!!

Thank you to Heceta Head Lighthouse for the use of the kegerator. It made pouring beer so much easier.

Thanks to the Yachats Lions Club for use of their space.

The festival started as an idea just a month ago. Thank you to Shannon Beaucaire, Yachats City Manager, Mayor John Moore, and the City Council for your support.

Who would have thought we could pull it off in such a short time. Thank you Quinton Smith, KYAQ, The Newport News Times, and anyone else who helped us spread the word.

And thank you to the people of Yachats Community Presbyterian Church for taking the community part of their name seriously.

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Maeona Urban’s Folk Art Colored Pencil Bible . . .

. . . was displayed in the sanctuary Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26.

It is an amazing body of work—created over a period of nearly 40 years—consisting of individual pictures in colored pencil and written commentary, representing her own understanding of the 39 Books of the Old Testament. Maeona was available the entire time to explain each piece and answer any questions. Among the comments about the display are: Amazing . . . Wonderful . . . Unbelievable!

Yachats Mushroom Festival

The Yachats Mushroom Festival is usually centered at the Yachats Commons, but the Commons was unavailable this year, so the various events were held here at YCPC, at the Yachats Lions Club, and at the Little Log Church Museum.

Mushroom Cooking Demos have been held at YCPC in the past, but this year the Festival Speakers Forums were held all day long in the sanctuary.

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Friday, November 15, 7:00 p.m., Sanctuary

Oregon Coast Chamber Orchestra

Fall 2019 Concert, Merrie England

The diverse talents of the Oregon Coast Chamber Orchestra members will be featured in the fall concert series with an exploration of unfamiliar pieces by favorite composers, as well as familiar melodies by lesser known tunesmiths.

The first half of the program is comprised of two suites—“Four Ways” Suite by Eric Coates and Scherzo from A Moorside Suite by Gustav Holst—and selections from Merrie England, a comic opera by Edward German.

The second half of the program includes Finian’s Rainbow, There’ll Be Other Times, Little Things, How Insensitive, The Sight of You, and The Lone Ar-Ranger.

Tickets are $10.00 for adults and will be available at YCPC the night of the performance. Students are free.

All-Church Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner

Wednesday, November 20, 6:00 p.m.

PLEASE SIGN UP TO PROVIDE . . .

Food AND Helping Hands

Join our church family and friends in the Fellowship Hall for our most anticipated dinner of the year!

The traditional menu will include turkey, dressing, potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, vegetables, salads, cranberry sauce, olives, rolls, Jell-O and desserts.

PLEASE SIGN UP and let us know which Thanksgiving favorite you will bring for the table. Please bring your own plates and silverware.

PLEASE ALSO SIGN UP for the fun, frivolity and community of preparing the Fellowship Hall for the meal AND cleaning up. Many hands really do make light work.

Join us for this time of fellowship and sharing God’s bounty.

PLEASE ALSO BRING A DONATION FOR

THE SOUTH LINCOLN RESOURCES HOLIDAY FOOD BASKETS.

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South Lincoln Resources Holiday Food Baskets

Members and friends of YCPC donate food for the South Lincoln Resources Holiday Food Baskets for individuals and families who would not otherwise enjoy the traditional holiday meals of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

There is a container in the narthex for donations of canned and packaged goods for the Holiday Food Baskets. Suggested items are: turkey dressing mix, applesauce, cranberry sauce, Jell-O, mixed fruit, peaches, yams, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, tomatoes, chili, tuna, soup, beef stew.

If you’d like to donate money for food for the baskets, please make your check payable to YCPC with “SLR Food Baskets” in the memo line. SLR has advised that the note in the memo line is important; otherwise the funds will go into the SLR general fund.

Applications for the Holiday Food Baskets are available next to the donation container.

The deadline for Thanksgiving is Friday, November 8. The deadline for Christmas is December 6.

November Book Group

Friday, November 15, 10:30 a.m.

OK Everybody---the grey skies are coming (some have already been here) and fall/winter is setting in. We need some fun reading to delve into.

November’s theme is humor! Let’s get out there and find something funny to read.

That could be a funny author—no matter what the subject. Janet Evanovich’s mystery/murder books come to mind. It could be about a comedian or written by a comedian. It could be another classic, like one of Shakespeare’s comedies. It could be a joke book. Several of us enjoy “The Cat Who….” mystery series. Have you been introduced to “The #1 Ladies Detective” mysteries? What about Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22”, “Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut, “If You Ask Me” by Betty White, “Bossypants” by Tina Fey, “In Good Company” by Carol Burnett, “Life Is A Bowl Of Cherries” by Erma Bombeck. Other authors come to mind: Garrison Keillor, Dave Barry, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Bryson, Bennett Cerf.

So . . . read something funny and join us Friday, November 15, at 10:30 at the church for delicious snacks (Marilyn Podesta is making her famous pumpkin treats) and discussions of whatever funny book(s) you have read!

Become a Volunteer Tutor

Oregon Coast Community College provides FREE tutorial services for all students.

AVAILABLE SUBJECTS: Tutors are available in math, reading, writing, computer skills, GED, science, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER: Volunteer tutors are always needed, and are welcome to join us at any time during the year. The only qualifications are a GED or High School Diploma, patience, and an ability to communicate effectively with a diverse population of individuals. If you would like to volunteer there is a poster in the Fellowship Hall with little slips you can tear off to call the College. Or, you can just contact the Tutor Coordinator (Dana Gallup) at 541-867-8505.

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October Families Together

In addition to the usual family meal and story time, October Families Together celebrated Halloween . . . with costumes and “Trunk or Treat” by the local PT Cruiser Club.

New Dishwasher!!!

YCPC’s 40-year-old dishwasher has been replaced—and it was paid for by a grant from the Cascades Presbytery Barnabus Fund! And the installation was paid for by the Endowment.

The old dishwasher was no longer in working condition and could not be repaired because parts are no longer available.

Thanks to Session Clerk, Betty Groth (and Pastor Bob) for writing the successful grant application!

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Flickers from the Flame Jon Nestor

The Light That Never Fades

In the pre-dawn darkness, I was watching for the sunrise. I was up at my usual time on a late-October weekday morning. The change from Daylight to Standard Time was coming in November. This change would bring daylight back to my early morning routine. But this was still October. So, I was now not only getting up before dawn, but also catching my bus before dawn. I found myself straining to catch even a glimpse of the first ray of sunlight that would signal the dawn of my new day. If only a ray of sunlight would come.

I boarded my bus, still in total darkness. Its headlights provided artificial light. While I was thankful for this light, especially because it lit my path temporarily so that I didn’t stumble trying to board my bus, it didn’t provide any energy, any life-promoting stimulus, any life-sustaining reassurance. That’s what the sunlight provided, and what I longed for. Even after I was safely on my bus, I was still watching for the dawn’s earliest light.

As my bus moved forward, I noticed how much I wanted and needed sunlight to orient me and help me navigate my day. As I continued to long for the sunlight, I discovered that my thoughts were shifting from sunlight to God’s Sonlight. Could God’s Sonlight orient me and help me navigate my day? I remembered that Sonlight radiates within all of us – including me. This reminder about Sonlight soothed my yearning for sunlight to the point where I began to relax about the sunlight’s tardiness.

Soon after I began to relax, I saw it – the faintest trace of dawn, the ray of sunlight – finally piercing the darkness – that would ultimately signal the doom of darkness for that day. Isn’t this what Sonlight is all about? I was thankful for that ray of sunlight. At the same time, I became newly thankful for Jesus and the Light – the Sonlight – which He brings to all the days of my life. Sometimes in the busyness of my days, I forget that Jesus’ Light never diminishes, even though sunlight fades completely, and then reappears. I became newly thankful for Jesus and the Light He continually provides and is in my life. Indeed, Jesus is the Light that never fades.

Mugs

We now have YCPC Mugs! We ordered enough so that we have plenty on hand for use here at the church AND . . . . so that everyone can take a mug home. If you haven’t taken a mug home yet, please feel free.

Our new mugs are one step we can take to reduce waste.